G.A. Heath, I respect your opinion, but let's agree to disagree.G.A. Heath wrote:Let me enumerate the reasons I feel the .40 is a poor choice for this application.
1: If you plan to use a back up gun to stop a wounded animal (The feral hog) from attacking what wounded it (this would be the hunter) then you want as much power as possible to dispatch the animal as quickly as possible. If you can't do this with your rifle then the animal is too close and shot placement will probably be less than ideal. A hog from a sounder that has never been hunted is more likely to charge when wounded than one from a sounder that has been hunted, there are not many sounders left that have not been hunted but hogs still charge on rare occasions. I believe Sheriff Jim Wilson has a real good story in a magazine about coming face to face with a wounded hog, IIRC that animal was hit with a rifle round and still got away from the hunters so Sheriff Jim went and tracked it down.
2: Handgun cartridges are not an ideal solution in most cases. With people it often takes multiple shots to stop the attacker who OFTEN survives. As a hunter you are ethically bound to dispatch your prey as quickly and painlessly as possible, taking a firearm that will require multiple shots does not fill the bill. Hogs are tough animals and can take punishment on par with humans, sometimes they can take more.
3: The .40S&W is NOT, I repeat NOT, a death ray. It is a downsized goldilocks caliber that was created because somebody thought the 9mm was too small, the .45 was too big and the 10mm was a little too much. This means that it is just another pistol caliber that has it's own ballistics. There is a reason it is marketed for self defense while the .41 mag, .44 mag, and even the 10mm as well as the .357 magnum are marketed to hunters (with the latter two being marketed for self defense as well). It can be used for hunting, like the .44 mag can be used for self defense, but it is not the ideal solution. Kinda like you can represent yourself in court, but that is not an ideal solution either.
I can tell you....that while I may not be a published "hog expert", I'm as well versed as anyone, even those running hog hunting operations. IF I were to set up in a blind to hunt them with a pistol, you're 100% correct, I'd choose a big bore pistol, most likely my .454. But I can also tell you that I've guided innumerable hunts with a .40 on my hip, and have dispatched/finished off many piggies successfully, all with one shot.
And, let me say again, the WILD and CRAZY stories of attacking pigs.....are....just that. Sure, they'll stand their ground, but the instances of these are few and far between...and quite frankly, more folklorish than fact.
If you want to be a guest of river bottom hog hunting, drop me a line. I'll drive you right down into prime pig territory, and show you some of the best hog hunting there is to offer. That's a real invitation to come hunt, nothing more. I think you'd love the place.
Remember, this discussion is not unlike normal life: be aware of your surroundings, and know your risk.
In closing, here are some VICIOUS piggies before the shot, and after the shot. Notice how they charged the hunter! No, wait....they continued to eat around after one of them was harvested! Ok, they were young........
Peace. Love. Chevrolet.
